Subtle Cues
by Sk8er Chica
Summary: [Jonny Zero fic] A mysterious teenager appears, asking for Jonny's help. When she begins acting strangely, Jonny tries to figure out what's troubling her. Read and reply.
1. Can You Help?

DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING.

A/N: No one else seems to be writing Jonny Zero fics, so I guess this makes mine the first. Reviews highly appreciated.

* * *

It was a typical winter day in New York City. As usual, Jonny Calvo was hard at work in the gym. He looked up as the door opened, then bounced off the wall with a bang. Standing in the doorway was a short, skinny teenage girl. Her mousy, dingy-blond hair was partially obscured by a sea-green bandanna. Despite the cold, the girl wore only a zip-up sweatshirt over a gray muscle shirt, red Nike track pants with white stripes on the sides, and a beat-up pair of light blue-and-white Riddell sneakers. A black gym bag on a shoulder strap was slung across her body. 

Jonny dried his face off with a towel, then made his way over to the girl.

"Can I help you?" he asked.

"I need to learn self-defense," the girl said abruptly.

"Why? Are you in some kinda trouble?"

"No, I just need to learn," she said. "Can you help me out?"

"What's your name?" Jonny pressed.

"Angela Jamie Delvecchio, people call me A.J.," said the girl.

"Jonny Calvo," said Jonny, shaking her hand. He noted she had a strong grip. He jerked his head in the direction of the boxing ring. "Let's get down to business."

A.J. put on a pair of boxing gloves she produced from her bag, then stripped off her shoes and socks. She expertly ducked under the ropes and stepped into the ring. She looked expectantly at Jonny.

"Okay, first things first," said Jonny. He patted his front. "Hit me as hard as you can."

A.J. hesitantly punched. Jonny smiled a little.

"Come on, A.J. You can hit harder than that," he said. "Don't worry about hurting me. I can take it."

The teenager punched again. Jonny doubled over, all the wind knocked out of him.

"Better," he panted. "Much better."

A.J. offered him a smug look.

"Go ahead, punch me again," said Jonny.

A.J. offered a punch just as powerful as the last. After about five minutes of this exercise, Jonny led her to one of the gym's punching bags. "Okay. Practice on this for a while, instead of me."

A.J. went all out on the heavy bag, punching in time to the music on the Spanish rap station the gym radio was usually tuned to. Jonny watched her pound the bag for another half hour. Then he said, "I think we'll leave it at this. I don't think you should wear yourself out on your first day."

"Yeah, I really oughta get home anyway," said A.J. "Thanks for the lesson, JC."

"I want you to take it easy the rest of tonight, okay?" said Jonny.

"Same time tomorrow?" said A.J.

"Sure."

She started to walk out the door, but Jonny called after her.

"You need a ride home?"

"No." A.J. said abruptly.

"You sure? This is a tough neighborhood and it's really no trouble."

"Yes, I'm sure. I have got to get home now." said A.J., a hint of nervousness and urgency to her tone.

She pulled the gym door open, closing it behind her without another word.


	2. Routines and Bruises

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to lola, the first person to review my fic.

* * *

The next afternoon, right around four o'clock, A.J. came back to the gym. She walked to the heavy punching bag and began hitting it. Jonny noticed she was punching slower and not as hard as she had the previous day. 

"Is something the matter?" he asked.

"No," A.J. replied.

Her face was flushed deep pink. The jacket she'd worn before was still on her.

"Maybe you should take off your jacket." said Jonny. "You look like you're getting overheated."

"Nah, I'm fine," said A.J. with a shrug.

The unzipped sweatshirt slipped loose, revealing a large purple bruise on her left shoulder.

"You mind telling me what happened?" said Jonny.

"I slipped in the shower the other night. I wore the jacket because I didn't want you to worry." A.J. explained.

Jonny saw through that in an instant. If A.J. had really slipped in the shower, most of her arm would probably be bruised, instead of just one spot.

"Listen, if you're being abused or something, you can tell me," said Jonny.

A.J. tried to keep her voice steady, but it came out high and shrill. "I'm not, all right?"

The teen grabbed her gymbag and started for the door. "I think I better go."

"But you just got here," said Jonny.

"Well, I have...something to do at home. I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

A.J. began to come to the gym every day at precisely four o'clock. Jonny admired her dedication. And with each visit, her boxing skills improved. 

_She has a lot of heart, too,_ Jonny thought.

After a while, he learned that A.J. was a movie buff and a sophomore at a nearby high school. Whenever Jonny inquired about her family, however, A.J. had the habit of dodging the subject. Every couple of days, a fresh bruise would appear on the girl's arms. She always had explanations ready.

"I tripped," she'd say. Or "I fell during gym class."

Again, Jonny would ask if she was being abused.

"No, I'm just clumsy!" A.J. would insist.

At this, Jonny would sigh. He could feel in his gut that something more was going on with A.J. than she was saying.

After their work-out, Jonny would offer a ride home, which the teen always refused. By the fifth rejection, he just stopped asking.

* * *

A/N: Chapter three is coming soon! Remember to review. Your opinion counts.


	3. Confrontation

A/N: RIP, Jonny. (sniffles) However, the fic must go on!

* * *

"Where the hell were you?" Carmine Delvecchio demanded. 

Carmine was six feet tall, Italian, and at the moment, very upset.

"I-I was at a boxing lesson," A.J. stammered.

"It's come to my attention you've been hanging around with a certain Jonny Calvo," Carmine continued. "Angela, sweetheart, Mr. Calvo is a very dangerous man. It worries me that you're associating with people like him."

A.J. rolled her eyes. "You don't have to pretend you're concerned about me. I'm not stupid. I know the only reason I'm living here is so you can get a check from the state every month." The teen knew this was practically begging for a slap in the mouth, but she didn't care. She'd been making her own choices, good and bad, for a long time.

Carmine's face flushed. He pushed A.J. to the floor, then grabbed the back of her muscle shirt to pull her up. Putting a seemingly friendly arm around her shoulders, he asked, "You really wanna take a poke at me?"

"You bet I..."

A.J. was cut off by Carmine pressing his thumb against the side of her neck, which rendered her incapable of speaking. Mild terror glazed her eyes as she struggled to breathe.

"Let's hear the right answer." said Carmine, easing off some off his pressure.

A.J. almost fell to her knees in a fit of coughing. She finally forced herself to meet his cruel eyes. "No, sir," she mumbled.

"Good," Carmine said lightly. "I don't wanna see you again for the rest of tonight."

"Yes, sir," A.J. said, trooping dutifully upstairs.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Hours later, A.J. was sitting awake in her bedroom, watching the minutes crawl by on her digital alarm clock. She couldn't be sure Carmine was asleep, so she didn't want to risk sneaking to the kitchen for a drink of water or something to eat.

"Oooh," she hissed, looking at her neck in the mirror.

It was definitely going to be bruised. At least her hair would cover it.

A.J. tried hard to remember something in her past, before Carmine Delvecchio had taken her in from the foster care system. As always, she drew a blank. She'd often wondered over the years if she had any family left who could take her away from this horrible place. A single tear rolled down her cheek as she dozed off.


	4. No Way In

After a typical day of high school, A.J. climbed the steps to the 5th Avenue brownstone she was fated to call home. She reached out to open the door. It didn't budge. She butted her shoulder against it a few times, thinking the door might be stuck. Rattling the knob, A.J. discovered it was locked. The teen fished in her pants pocket for her house key, but didn't find it.  
A.J. looked over shoulder to see that Carmine's silver Lexus wasn't parked in front of the house.

"Dammit," she muttered in frustration.

She walked around the house and tried to open one of the windows. It was locked as well. Suddenly, A.J. noticed a piece of paper pinned to the back door. It read:

_Angela,_

_Gone out of town for the weekend. Be back on Tuesday._

_Carmine_

Frustrated, cold, and angry, A.J. sat on the ground and cried.

* * *

Meanwhile at the gym, Jonny was getting slightly worried. A.J. was nowhere in sight and her timing was usually regular as a clock. 

_Maybe something happened to her, _he thought.

Jonny shook his head. He was being ridiculous. A.J. had probably stayed home sick or forgotten to tell him she had other plans.

An uptempo salsa song blasted from the radio.

_A.J. really likes this one, _Jonny remembered. _No, Calvo, don't go there. It'll only make you worry. Just go by her house and she'll probably be there._

After his workout, Jonny drove around town, searching for any signs of A.J. He paused in front of a house that had an engraved plaque on the front wall reading: "Delvecchio." Jonny got out of the car and walked over to the front door. He knocked twice.

"A.J.? A.J., are you in there?" he asked.

He knocked again. "A.J., it's me, Jonny."

Sighing, Jonny loped down the front steps. He didn't particularly want to stand out in the cold all day waiting for someone to answer. He felt reasonably certain that A.J. would be back at the gym tomorrow, raring to go.

* * *

A/N: I love seeing my reader's opinions. Please review! 


	5. A Bad Day

A/N: No more reviews :-( Please hit the purple button.

* * *

_God, my back hurts! _A.J. thought. 

Opening her eyes, she realized she'd fallen asleep on the house's concrete backporch. The teen's back gave an ominous crack as she sat up. A.J. rolled her stiff neck from side to side for a moment.

A glance at her watch revealed it was 9:30. A.J. grabbed her bags and jumped to her feet, racing in the direction of her high school.

0-0-0-0-0

"You are over an hour late, Miss Delvecchio," the principal snapped. "Explain yourself."

Mr. Brunfeld was a short, chubby,sour-looking man. Dubbed "Battle Ax Brunfeld" by the students, he gave severe punishments for even the most minor infractions.

"I overslept, sir," said A.J.

Mr. Brunfeld looked her up and down. "I believe those are the same clothes you wore yesterday."

"I fell asleep in my clothes studying last night. I didn't take time to change when I realized how late I was," A.J. clarified.

"I'm going to have to give you detention for this, Miss Delvecchio," said Mr. Brunfeld.

0-0-0-0-0-0

The day seemed to stretch out endlessly. Midway through chemistry, the hunger hit. A.J. planned to buy a snack from the vending machine at lunch, then realized her wallet was in her desk drawer at home. The only thing she could do was nibble the stash of orange Tic-Tacs in her backpack. That wasn't very effective, however.  
By her final class of the day, A.J. had a pounding headache. The teacher noticed her lethargy and sent her to the nurse's office, where A.J. quickly made up a story about sinus trouble, declining the nurse's offer of Benadryl.

Once detention was over, A.J. went to the gym to work out with Jonny. She did her best to behave as though nothing was wrong. Midway through a sparring match, she was gripped by a sudden wave of light-headedness.

"You all right?" Jonny questioned.

"Yeah...I don't know what hit me," said A.J.

"Maybe you need to sit down for a while," Jonny suggested. He held out a bottle of Gatorade. "Drink this. It'll make you feel better."

After a few swallows, the dizziness disippated slightly. Jonny walked out of the boxing ring, heading in the direction of the locker room. He saw A.J. standing outside the locker room door when he emerged from showering.

"You finally trust me to drive you home?" he asked.

"We can't exactly go to my house. Nobody's home and I locked myself out."

"Then you can stay at my place tonight," said Jonny.

A.J. turned red. "You don't have to do that."

"A.J., I'm your friend. Friends help each other when they need a hand," Jonny said warmly.

They walked out to the sidewalk, where Jonny had parked his candy-apple red Chevrolet Camaro SS.


	6. A Place to Stay

A.J. and Jonny soon arrived at the warehouse/loft Jonny lived in.

"'Bout time you got home. I was startin' to worry about you, dog," said Jonny's roommate, skinny, spiky-haired Random.

"Nice to see you too. Listen, we're gonna have company tonight"

Random cut him off. "Uh-uh, no way, dog. This ain't a hotel or a rehab center; it's our crib."

"Random, please. She's only fifteen, and she's got nowhere else to go," Jonny said, his voice quiet but tense.

"All right, she can stay, but just for tonight," Random consented. "Don't say I never did you no favors."

"You don't have to hide behind me," Jonny said to the teen. "Go ahead and make yourself at home."

Uneasily, A.J. lowered herself onto the dirty, floral-patterned couch. She couldn't imagine living in this place full-time. Getting a closer look at Random caused her to blush. Random was pretty cute. He probably wasn't much older than her either... Jonny's voice broke into her thoughts.

"If you wanna get cleaned up, the bathroom's right down the hall."

"And you can borrow some of Velvet's clothes," Random added, going to fetch the laundry.

"Speaking of Velvet, how come she's not home?" Jonny asked. After her stepfather had been killed, Jonny had become sort of an unofficial guardian to the seventeen-year-old exotic dancer.

Random just shrugged. A.J. began to look through the laundry basket. She found an assortment of low-rise jeans, too-short shorts, and skimpy tops. She shook her head to signal there was nothing she liked.

"Don't worry. I'm sure Random's stuff would fit you," said Jonny.

Random opened his mouth in protest, but the older man looked daggers at him. After fishing through the cardboard box most of Random's things were in, the teen selected a pair of jeans, a plain green T-shirt, and a neon orange hoodie with "Zoo York" printed across the front.

A.J. padded towards the bathroom. Working out had left her drained and sweaty. She could hardly wait to relax in a hot shower. She stepped inside the bathroom, locking the door behind her. The teen's eyes roved over the cracked, dirty floor, mildew-coated shower, and tattered shower curtain. The glass in the top part of the door is what did it for her.

"That is the most disgusting bathroom I have ever seen!" she yelled, walking back into the living room area.

"I gotta go to work, Random." Jonny was saying."Can I trust you to keep an eye on her?"

Random jumped off the couch as though he'd been electrified. "Wait, wait, you know I ain't good with kids. Remember what happened the time you left me with that stolen baby?"

"I thought we agreed not to bring that up again," said Jonny, adjusting the earpiece he wore on the job. "Look, it's not like you have to change diapers..."

"How do you know she's housebroken?" Random asked.

Not wanting to hear any more of the argument, A.J. went back into the bathroom. The least she could do was put on some deodorant and change into the set of borrowed clothes.


	7. Random and Romance?

"What happened to Jonny?" A.J. asked, stepping out of the bathroom barefoot.

"Left," Random answered.

A.J. placed her hands on her hips. "If we haveto bestuck together, could you _attempt _to be a gentleman?"

Random said nothing; there wasn't much arguing with that logic. Satisfied with having won the battle, A.J. sat next him on the couch.

"What's your name, home girl?" asked Random.

"Angela Jamie, A.J. for short."

"Angela's a pretty name," said Random. "My name's Eddie, but everyone calls me Random."

Angela surveyed his attire. "You planning to be the next Vanilla Ice?"

"Wanna hear my demo CD?" Random got off the couch to get it.

"I'll pass." she interrupted.

A.J. flipped on the television. She scrolled through the channels, in search of anything remotely interesting. She found what she was looking for on TBS: the entire _Back to the Future _trilogy was about to be screened.

Just when the silence between the pair was growing awkward, A.J. piped up, "I'm really hungry."

"You like Cocoa Pebbles?"

At her nod, he poured a bowl of cereal for each of them. They talked more to each other as the night grew later. By the time _Back to the Future Part III _began, A.J. wondered how much longer she could keep her eyes open. A draft crept across the living area through the broken window.  
A.J. shivered. Suprising both of them, Random slipped an arm around her shoulders.

"Better?" he said quietly.

"Yeah," A.J. yawned, leaning against him.

Her crystal blue eyes closed slowly; her head on his chest. Random draped a blanket over them, taking great care not to wake A.J.


	8. A Blast from the Past

A/N: This chapter is dedicated to LizzyB22 for inspiring me to continue this fic after an unreasonably long hiatus.

* * *

Jonny got about four hours of sleep before he decided to take his morning jog. He ran past a homeless person, which is sadly a common sight in New York. Something about the man compelled Jonny to stop. The man had messy dark hair and stubble. He was wearing jeans, a grimy shirt, and an old Army jacket with a Purple Heart Medal pinned to the chest. 

"God bless you," he said gratefully as Jonny handed him five dollars.

Jonny was just about to continue on his way when he noticed the photo the man was holding. It was of a baby girl lying in a hospital bassinette. The date on the photo was 1990, meaning the baby was the same age as A.J. by now.

"Is that your little girl?" Jonny asked.

The man nodded, then held his hand out to shake Jonny's. "My name's Lanceton Sommers."

Jonny introduced himself, then asked, "What's your little girl's name?"

"Angela, after my late wife, and her middle name is Jamie, after my brother who was killed in 'Nam," Lanceton said slowly, eye brimming with tears. "My ex-boss thought a widower Vietnam veteran had no business raising a child. He made anonymous tips that I was abusing Angela. I could never hurt her, but Social Services didn't want to believe that. They took Angela away from me."

"I'm sorry to hear that," said Jonny, the pieces clicking in his mind.

He hastily bid Lanceton good-bye and headed back to the warehouse.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

A.J. and Random were still snuggled together on the couch when he arrived. Jonny set about the task of preparing his breakfast, making as much noise as humanly possible.

"Hey, dawg, stop it," Random whined. "I need my beauty sleep."

Jonny chuckled. "Then you better start hibernating."

"That's cold," said Random indignantly.

A faint moan got Jonny's attention. "Oh good, you're awake, A.J. I need to ask you something."

"Do you mind if I have coffee first?" she asked.

Once she'd had her coffee, Jonny asked, "Do you remember anything about your past? Anything at all?"

"I was taken from my real father when I was four," A.J. replied. "I used to see him so clear in my mind. Now everything's fuzzy."

"Do you remember being Angela Sommers?" Jonny questioned.

A.J. dropped her gaze and slowly shook her head, the curtain of sandy blond hair falling forward. Random just sat with an arm around her and a '_What the hell...' _look on his face.


	9. A Walk in the Park

"I'm gonna go put up some more of Jonny's 'Heroes for Hire' posters," said Random. "You wanna come?"

He didn't need to ask A.J. twice. She grabbed the stapler from the kitchen counter on her way out the door.

They worked the block tag-team style. Random held the flyers in place while A.J. stapled them to the telephone poles.

"Damn, girl!" Random yelped as his finger accidentally got stapled to a flyer. "You sure you know how to run that thing?"

She gave him an apologetic grin, which he returned.

0-0-0-0-0

"All done," said Random, twelve blocks later.

They'drun out of flyers and the stapler had run out of staples.

"You ready to get back?" asked Random.

A.J. didn't feel like going home. The weather was mild for a New York City winter; and besides, she liked being around Random.

"Do you mind if we...go to Central Park for a while?" she asked slowly.

"Sure thing, Lil' Angel," Random said with a smile. "We just gotta be home by sunset. Jonny likes to know where you are."

0-0-0-0-0-0

They walked down the tree-lined paths, watching people throw bread to the pigeons. Random told A.J. about how he'd run away from home at fourteen years old, met Jonny when he was sixteen, and moved in with Jonny after he'd served time for manslaughter.

"Jonny never told me what your deal is," said Random. "Do you wanna tell me?"

"I guess it's only fair," said A.J., kicking at a piece of gravel. "I never met my real parents. I've spent over a decade in the foster care system. I've had good experiences and bad ones. The guy I live with now, Carmine, he's a real whack job. He's never said so, but I think he's involved with the Mafia. And let's just say I didn't get bruised walking into walls."

"Looks like we've both had some pretty bad luck," Random observed. "But at least we're both in good hands since we're with Jonny."

They sat down to rest near the large bronze statue of Balto. A.J. traced the inscription with her fingers.

"I remember coming to see this when I was a little girl," she said. "I just wish I could remember who I am. If I don't have a past, how can I have a future?"

"I know who you are. You're Lil' Angel. And Lil' Angel's a lot of fun, hot, not to mention a total sweetheart. You gotta put your past in your trunk. As for your future, well, I can see you becoming President."

A.J. blinked. This was uncharacteristically insightful for Random.

After lunch at a hot dog stand, she and Random walked hand-in-hand back to the warehouse.


	10. Kidnapped

**To LizzyB22: **Well, I've written several _Rocket Power _fics, a couple _Walker, Texas Ranger _stories, and some other stuff. Go to my profile page for full details.

* * *

The next day, (Sunday), A.J. woke up early. She decided to do a bit of shopping around the neighborhood while she waited for Random to wake up (which could be anywhere between noon and three o'clock). 

First, A.J. bought a copy of the _New York Times, _then bought a doughnut at Krispy Kreme. As she exited Gregory's with her cappuccino, two men in suits appeared.

"We seem to be lost," said one of them. "Can you help us out?"

"Um, I have to go home," said A.J.

The larger of the two grabbed her upper arm. "I'm sure you can, sweetheart."

"Get off me!" A.J. cried, struggling.

The first man went for her throat, but ended up with a fistful of her gold chain. It snapped and fell to the sidewalk. Something pressed against A.J.'s face and she knew no more.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_What just happened? _she thought groggily.

Opening her eyes, she realized she was in an abandoned building of some sort. Her wrists were trussed up with duct tape...

_I bet this about Carmine's gambling debt. If these guys expect him to pay up just because they have me, they'll never get their money. Wait a minute! They haven't done anything about my ankles, so I can hotfoot it out of here._

A loud bark attracted A.J.'s attention when she made to stand. A slavering, vicious dog was chained on the opposite side of the room. In short, she was (as the old cliche goes) trapped like a rat.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Random was getting worried. He called Nina's cell phone, knowing that Jonny was out for the day with his wife and their son Vincent. He requested that Nina put Jonny on the line.

"What is it?" Jonny asked, quietly irritated.

"Do you know where Lil' Angel is? I ain't seen her all morning." said Random.

"That's probably because you've been asleep all morning," Jonny pointed out. "She got up around the time I did, told me she was hungry, and I said there was nothin' in the fridge. I gave her some money so she could get herself some breakfast."

"I just got a bad feeling, Jonny," said Random. "Can you help me look for her? Please, man? I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important."

Jonny sighed, told Random he'd meet him outside the warehouse, and hung up.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The two young men walked through town, checking at all the places A.J. might have gone. Jonny paused outside a Gregory's. A newspaper, a cup of spilled coffee, and a Krispy Kreme bag lay on the ground. Something thin and gold glinted under the paper.

"I recognize this," said Jonny, picking it up. "This is A.J.'s necklace. It looks like there was a struggle. You may be right for once, Random. Something's definitely happened."


	11. Ransom Note

A/N: I apologize for not updating sooner, but I have a ton of summer plans.

* * *

"There's a note here," said Jonny, moving the newspaper aside. 

It was hastily scribbled on the back of a lost dog flyer. The writing was smudged in a few places.

_'We have Angela. Bring $15,000 dollars in large bills to the corner of Second and B by midnight tomorrow night. If you bring the police into it, start arranging the funeral.  
If you don't bring the money, you'll never see her again._'

"We better go to the cops," said Jonny. "They need to know about this."

"No!" Random argued. "Can't you read? They'll cap her if we get the cops involved. We have to figure out where she is and rescue you her."

"They won't release her unless we pay the ransom," said Jonny. "Besides, how are we gonna come up with fifteen grand by tomorrow?"

Random's cell phone chirped. He pushed 'talk', feeling annoyed that someone would be bothering him now.

"This is Carmine Delvecchio." an unfamiliar male voice said. "Tell Garret he might as well ice Angela because I ain't paying. Angela deserves to pay for that snotty attitude of hers. You got me?"

"How'd you get my number?" asked Random. "Wait, that don't matter. On second thought, maybe it does..."

Jonny took the phone from Random. He had overheard both sides of the conversation and knew Carmine must be A.J.'s adoptive father. He had also heard from Garret that Carmine owed him a large amount of money.

"Mr. Delvecchio, you have to understand," Jonny said patiently. "You need to do the right thing and pay your gambling debt. Your daughter's life is at stake."

"You think you're some sort of Robin Hood, but all you are is a violent criminal who needs to be off the streets." Carmine spat before hanging up.

"Now what do we do?" Random said in a higher voice than normal. He was panic-stricken at the thought of losing A.J.

"I have an idea, but I don't really like it," said Jonny.

The only person who might be able to help him was the FBI agent Stringer, who was trying to get him to turn informant. They had a scheduled meeting at a shabby diner, so he could always ask for assistance.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Good afternoon, Mr. Calvo," Agent Stringer chirped from the diner's lunch counter.

Jonny sat down next to him. He took a breath. There was no point in beating around the bush when time was so precious. "I need a favor from you." he said.

"What sort of favor?" Agent Stringer asked suspiciously.

"A friend of mine was kidnapped this morning," Jonny explained. "Her father, Carmine Delvecchio, owes a big debt to Garret."

"And you think the kidnapping was contrived to coerce him into paying?" Agent Stringer asked.

Jonny nodded. He produced the ransom note from his jacket pocket and laid it on the counter. Stringer carefully looked it over.

"If you help me get A.J. back," Jonny started. "I'll testify against Garret, I'll do whatever you want me to do. I swear on my mother. Please help me."

"If I know Garret as well as I think I do, your friend will be dead long before you can reach him. Don't get your hopes up."


	12. Garret

A/N: As you may have noticed, I raised the rating a smidge. This is just a precaution for future chapters.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

The walls of the old building were weak, so A.J. thought repeatedly ramming her shoulder against the wall could lead to freedom. All it had given her so far were major aches and pains. It was also agitating the dog.  
Defeated, A.J. slumped against the wall, tears rolling down her cheeks.

She jumped as the door to her makeshift prison opened. Garret and a pair of his henchmen breezed in.

"There there, love," Garret said a deadly calm voice. "There's no need for those tears. The dog won't attack unless I tell him to."

He ran his fingers through A.J.'s sweaty, tangled hair. Far from soothing the teen, it only made her struggle more.

"You're a feisty little sheila, aren't you?" he asked.

"Get your greasy mitts off me," A.J. snarled at me.

"Darling, you can end this ordeal," said Garret. "All you have to do is say the word and I'll have you taken care of."

A.J. knew Garret's definition of "taken care of" was a double-tap to the back of someone's head. She tried to squirm away from Garret. He tightened his grip.

"I think we'd best calm you down," said Garret.

He motioned to one of his flunkies, who produced a syringe filled with a liquid A.J. couldn't identify. Garret nodded. The first flunkie forced up A.J.'s sleeve while the other pierced her arm with the needle. The room began to spin. A.J. passed out on the floor a split second later.


	13. On Edge

"I'd advise you not to drop the money off tonight," Stringer warned. "The kidnappers will have no reason to keep in contact with us. If they don't keep contact, your friend may die."

"She may die anyway," Jonny pointed out. "We don't know who's got her or what they've done to her."

"You really should wait until the deadline," said Stringer. "The kidnappers may be more inclined to reveal her location. You'd be placing her in unnecessary danger. You need to relax."

"I can'trelax! _You _can 'cause it ain'tyour girl they've got!" Random protested, seemingly popping up out of nowhere.

"You and Miss Delvecchio are close?" asked Stringer.

"Of course we're close! I done told you she's my girl!" said Random. "Is there any way I can help?"

"I'm afraid you're too close to the situation," said Stringer, before he exited the diner. "I'll be in touch."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Back at the loft, Random paced back and forth, rubbing the back of his neck.

"There's gotta be some way we can get the money," he said. "We--we can hock the TV, the sofa, our mattresses. Hell, I'll even hock my studio equipment."

"Take a breath," said Jonny. "You're talkin' a mile a minute."

"God, if only I'd gone with A.J.," Random said, eyes starting to tear. "I coulda protected her."

"_Or _you could've ended up dead in the gutter," said Jonny.

"Just leave me alone, dawg," Random muttered.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

_Meanwhile..._

A.J. woke; shefelt battered and bruised.

"They must've hit me while I was out!" she raged. "Damn them! Oh God...I hope they didn't do anything else...Oh, I can't--I can't remember anything."

She leaned her head against the wall, crying again.

_Somebody please help me..._


	14. Making the Drop

A/N: Apologies for not updating sooner.

* * *

_Twenty-four hours later..._

Random checked his watch. 11:50. Hopefully the kidnappers would be on time. He chewed his lower lip as he scanned the horizon for anyone or anything approaching. He could only pray to God none of Garret's flunkies figured out he was wearing a wire. If anything went wrong, Stringer would show up in his unmarked FBI van.

Random whirled around as he heard footsteps approaching. He recognized the silhouette as Garret's. Per usual, the mobster had two heavily muscled guys with him.

"Yo," said Random, twitching a few nervous smiles.

"Evening," Garret said silkily.

"I got your dough," said Random, pointing to the briefcase. "Now where's A.J.?"

Garret sidled over and put an arm around Random's shoulders. "Before we exchange any cash, I just have one question. What's this girl to you anyway? Her old man is the one who owes me money."

"I-I met A.J. a couple days ago and we're tight," he replied. "And her old man don't care about her."

Garret turned to his flumkies. "Check him."

Random swallowed hard, fighting to stay calm. He allowed the other mobsters to pat him down. They seemed satisfied that they hadn't found any weapons. But then one of them found the unit strapped to Random's waist.

"What have we got here?" asked Garret.

"My pedometer," Random lied. "I'm trying to get in shape."

Garret shook his head. "Maybe I'm out of my tree, but I believe you."

He took the briefcase containing the ransom and disappeared.

"Hey, wait!" Random yelled after him. "You didn't tell me where she is!"


End file.
